


Fortune Telling

by TowergonomicXVI



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Bittersweet, Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Spoilers, My First Fanfic, Not Beta Read, Persona 4 Golden - Freeform, Persona 4 Spoilers, Tarot, The Velvet Room (Persona Series), but not really, takes place post new years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27503563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TowergonomicXVI/pseuds/TowergonomicXVI
Summary: Post New Years and with his move away from Inaba on the horizon, Yu struggles to unpack and approach his feelings for Yosuke. Yu takes to the Velvet Room for some help, but will Igor's tarot reading predict goodwill or misfortune in his future? Meanwhile, Yosuke is going through a similar struggle and must decide what it means to be a true friend. Based on a very melodramatic, three card tarot spread I drew for this pairing.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Kudos: 32





	1. The Hanged Man

**Author's Note:**

> Pardon anything OOC, this is my first time writing these characters.

Yu Narukami strolled the snowy streets of the shopping district one sunny, January morning. The sun was a welcomed break from the constant snowfall, but Yu wasn’t feeling as cheery about it as he would have hoped. _Spring is coming_ , the sun called, _you’ll be on your way soon. Don’t you have something you need to be doing_ , It mocked him, _besides walking aimlessly through the streets? You don’t have that much time left_.

“Hey, Yu!” He heard his name called from behind the harsh gaze of the sun.

Clearing his thoughts and turning his head, Yu spotted a familiar flash of red green. Smiling, he greeted “Morning Chie, Yukiko.”

“Good morning,” Yukiko greeted politely, “How are you feeling?”

Chie echoed, “Yeah, are you sure you’re over that cold of yours? Don’t be walking around in the snow if you’re just gonna make yourself sick again!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Yu reassured, “And I’m not just out for the sake of it, I swear.”

“Hmmm, what're you doing out here then?”

Yu struggled to hold back a grimace. He could barely admit to himself what he was out wandering the streets for, much less Chie. Not that he didn’t trust Chie. It was more like, he was still trying to find the words for it himself. He’d been wanting to confess something, specifically something to Yosuke.

Over the course of the year he’d developed something of a crush on his best friend. Obviously too embarrassing of a notion to say out loud. All the same, it was true. After their fight on the Samegawa, Yu looked at Yosuke differently. Sometimes it was more of an admiration; a recognition of how much Yosuke had grown in just a few months. Yu endlessly appreciated his right-hand man’s support time and again, always there when he needed it. Part of it, though, was decidedly not platonic. That jittery, fuzzy feeling in his chest from a simple touch or glance. Or a heat under his collar he’d rather not describe in detail. Yosuke made Yu feel a tenderness that he desperately wanted to convey, but that was trivial in the face of kidnappings and attempted murders. So Yu had kept quiet. But days drifted into weeks drifted into months until the case had been closed completely. Yu had developed an eloquence about him during his stay in Inaba, but there was something particularly silencing about the thought of confessing his feelings to Yosuke after New Years, after months of secretly pining. It wasn’t an easy secret to reveal, particularly not with the everpresent, underlying fear that Yosuke wouldn’t feel the same.

Yu subtly shook himself out of his train of thought, surely having entertained it for way too long. Hopefully the girls didn’t notice the pause.

“I was looking for Yosuke.”

Yu managed to avoid stuttering, but in retrospect he realized his poor word choice. If he was really meeting up with Yosuke, instead of just thinking himself sick about it, why wouldn’t Yu have just called him? Yu wished he could have thought of a better excuse, but Chie seemed to buy it.

“Did that dork really want you to meet him outside? He knows you were just sick and he’s making you wait out in the cold?!,” always full of energy, Chie sprung into action, “I’ll call him and find out where he is. Give him a piece of my mind while I’m at it.”

Wait, no, this was bad.

“Chie, you don’t have to do that,” Yu pleaded.

But Chie had already dialed and didn’t seem to hear him.

Yu could hear the line connect, but Chie accusatorially interrupted before Yosuke could speak, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Yu couldn’t help but draw his hand up to cover his eyes. _Very subtle, Chie_ , he thought. He dragged his hand down his face and looked up, meeting Yukiko’s eyes. She shared a sympathetic expression with him, but giggled to herself all the same.

For a couple minutes Chie and Yosuke bickered incoherently over the phone. Soon, though, Chie held out the device to Yu, “He wants to talk to you.”

Yu reluctantly took the call. Again, in all honesty, he had been meaning to talk to Yosuke. Maybe this was some sort of opportunity. Not one to confess, lord knows over Chie’s cell was not the right time or place to say something like that, but an opportunity nonetheless.

“It’s me,” Yu answered.

“Hey, partner, can you explain to me what’s going on here?” Yosuke’s muffled voice responded.

Now was a good chance. A great chance, actually. Yu could say just about anything to set up a time to talk with Yosuke. Something like: it’s a long story, can you meet me somewhere? Or: now’s not a good time to explain, are you free sometime tomorrow? Or even an: I’ll tell you at school. Any of those options, though not his first choice as they’d probably still be confusing to Yosuke, could give him a golden opportunity to finally come clean. 

But instead of any of those good responses, Yu found himself squeaking out a “No, I don’t think I can,” and hung up.

So much for a golden opportunity. Yu guiltily handed Chie back her phone. He knew there wasn’t much point in feeling sorry for himself, especially when he was his own saboteur, but his heart sank anyways.

That was the paradox. Yu wanted to, but he couldn’t. He needed to say something, but his mouth sealed itself shut. His mind screamed at him a mix of just go for it’s and you’ll regret it’s. In that respect, whether Yu really wanted to make a move or not, it was easier to just keep quiet. Say, oh well, and hope better for the next time. But there wasn’t much hope when the time was never right.

Yu ended up walking home after Chie and Yukiko left. On their way back to their errands, the girls exchanged concerned and confused looks but obviously didn’t reach a strong enough conclusion to say anything. Although, Yu concluded that what they said earlier was right. The cold probably wasn’t good for him.

After stewing for a couple more days, he found himself back on the streets of the shopping district. Under a clear, starry night sky this time, he stood stiffly in front of a familiar yet conspicuous glowing, blue door. Yu didn’t think he had much business left here, but as he felt the reassuring weight of the Velvet Key in his pocket, he thought to himself that maybe he did know someone that could clear things up for him.


	2. Temperance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke's chapter!

Out in the freezing, winter cold, when he should be asleep already, is where Yosuke found himself that night. After laying on his bed and staring up at his ceiling for a couple hours, Teddie’s invasive questioning and watchful eye had finally scared Yosuke off. He loved Teddie, even at the worst of times, but right now Yosuke just needed some time alone with his thoughts. So, instead of finally hunkering down to give his overcooked brain a rest, he went out for a walk down the shopping district.

Lately, Yosuke had been contemplating something he’d never thought he’d find himself thinking about: having feelings for another guy. Having romantic feelings for another guy. Having romantic feelings for Yu specifically. And although it was something he didn’t really care for anyone else to know, Yosuke surprised himself by how calm he was about it. For all the unnecessary assertions of his sexuality, for all the ‘I don’t swing that way’s, for all the struggling to be sensitive about the topic, he found it didn’t really bother him. Being with Yu just felt right. If something called for them to be a little more intimate than friends, then that was just the natural progression of things. A cosmic destiny of sorts. The universe had brought the two of them to this tiny town just to meet each other. But of course, that was a rosy way to look at things.

A lot had happened in the last year. Some of it had been exciting, like solving mysteries and summoning personas. Yosuke had made some of the greatest friends he’d ever had. But it couldn’t be ignored why the Investigation Team was formed in the first place. Serial murders, kidnappings, scares of injured and missing friends and family. Every one of their team members had been forced to face their inner demons, and Yosuke knew first hand that kind of thing wasn’t easy. It’s painful to face oneself, and it definitely takes some time to grow and heal.

Yosuke supposed that’s what troubled him most. It wasn’t so much a fear of what falling in love with his best friend really meant, as it was a hesitancy to take the next step. Yu had a lot on his plate. He came to this town only to meet a great big mess. The stress of the serial kidnappings only mounted month after month. Almost losing Nanako had been a particularly terrible scare and it hadn’t even happened all that long ago. Nanako and Dojima had still been checking in and out of the hospital. And even though most of this was over, the next step was Yu leaving town. Maybe Yu and Yosuke were meant to meet each other, but all this baggage between them made it feel like the universe wanted them apart.

While walking the empty streets of the shopping district allowed him some time to air out these thoughts, Yosuke’s quiet stroll, lit only by buzzing streetlights and the stars, made him feel a little bit lonely. That is, until he spotted a familiar face loitering outside Daidara’s metalworks shop.

“Huh, fancy seeing you here, partner,” Yosuke greeted as Yu turned around, almost startled. 

“Yosuke, what are you doing out so late?” 

“Funny, I was just gonna ask you the same thing.” 

Yu faltered for a moment, “I uh, came out to talk with a friend.” 

Yosuke couldn’t suppress his smile, “That’s so like you.”

When Yosuke didn’t hear a response, he focused in on Yu’s expression; a flustered face if he’d ever seen one. Crap, did he come on too strong? Yosuke didn’t want to make Yu uncomfortable, but it was hard to hold back that fond lilt in his own voice. 

Backtracking, Yosuke clarified, “You’re always spending your time helping someone out. Apparently so much that you don’t sleep.” 

Yu relaxed a little, but still only nodded back stiffly, clearly unsure of what to say. That was a little strange, actually. Although Yu was definitely more the silent type, he wasn’t usually this much at a loss for words. At the same time, Yosuke was sure he wasn’t making things any better. 

In another attempt to dodge the subject, Yosuke decided to bring up that phone call, “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask again, but how about that call the other day? What’d you send Chie after me for?”

If it were possible, as it now seemed, Yu grew even quieter. The thin winter air grew a little bit thicker under the tension. Yosuke sighed. He felt a weight on his chest from his natural talent to make things awkward. 

Well, third times the charm, as they say. Yosuke gave lightening the mood one more, feeble shot, “What’re you holding there?”

This seemed a question that Yu could answer. His face lit up a little as he lifted his hand, revealing a piece of cardstock much bigger and more robust than a playing card. 

“This is something my friend gave me just now, it’s a tarot card,” Yu recalled, “Y’know, like fortune telling. She said this one represents temperance.” 

“Bro, call me stupid if you want, but I have no idea what that means,” Yosuke admitted, looking for some clarity. Despite the self deprecation, Yosuke’s chest lightened a little. He was kinda surprised his lamest attempt actually worked to lift that layer of gloom. Not that he wasn’t thankful for it. 

Yu shared a gentle smile with Yosuke before letting his gaze drift off into the distance, contemplating the best way to phrase it, “Temperance is like, moderation in your actions, thoughts, or feelings. It’s about balance and stability, but also patience and purposefulness? It’s a middle path, like the Buddha, right?”

“What’re you asking me for?” Yosuke laughed. 

Yu couldn’t help but grin in return, “But, you get what I mean?”

“I think so. Not beating yourself up but not taking it easy either?”

“Yeah, or not remaining static but not rushing through things. Something in between. To be honest, I still don’t really get it myself.”

“No, you did a good job explaining, I think I kinda understand now.”

Yu seemed a little surprised, which Yosuke wasn’t sure if he should take offense to or not until Yu spoke up, “Well good, that makes one of us then.”

Yosuke stepped up toward Yu’s side and threw an arm over his shoulder, “Maybe you just need to sleep on it. It’s late, let’s get you home.”

Yu held stiff at first, but quickly leaned into Yosuke. It was a comfort, a warming point of contact where their arms intersected, that Yosuke didn’t think he should indulge in. Yu made it too easy. He took his time before huffing out a husky response. 

“Only if it’s not too much trouble.”

And so, the boys walked off toward Dojima’s place. They didn’t say much, but they didn’t stray far from each other’s side either. Their arms only slipped away from their shoulders when the house came into view: elbows still knocking together after that. 

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” Yu asked as the pair finally made it to the house’s front steps, “but why did you walk all the way back with me?” 

Yosuke took a second to think of the right words. He’d been slowly realizing just how much he cared for Yu, and he thought that Yu had something on his mind, but Yosuke also recognized he had to refine that statement. He’d had enough of saying the wrong thing tonight. But then the question was, what exactly should he say? To claim outright ‘you’ve been acting weird lately’ didn’t feel right, but neither did a simple ‘that’s what friends are for.’ 

“It just seemed like you needed it,” Yosuke finally concluded. 

Yu broke away from Yosuke’s gaze. He slipped out of their bubble and raised his hands up to slap both sides of his face. Taken aback just a touch, Yosuke thought, you really are hiding something, aren’t you?

When Yu was finished waking himself up, he grabbed Yosuke’s wrist and shoved the tarot card into his coat pocket. 

“Wh-what’s this for?” Yosuke stuttered. 

“My token of gratitude,” Yu turned, waving his hand over his shoulder as he stepped into the shadows cast off from the overhang of the doorway, “Goodnight, Yosuke.” “Night.”

Yosuke came home to an unlit bedroom with a bear snoring obnoxiously from his closet. He knew it was high time that he go to sleep, but he needed to put something else to rest before that. Sitting down on his bed and keeping the lights off, Yosuke took the tarot card from his pocket. He thought about temperance again. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but something appealed to him about the concept of a “middle path.” Maybe it was because he’d been thinking about Yu for so long now. He felt scummy sitting around and keeping his feelings to himself, but Yu was already carrying any burden he could. It didn’t seem right to confess. To take action or to leave it be, neither option felt right. But that was just it! 

Yosuke wanted more than anything to be a reliable presence in Yu’s life, so that was the path he should take. No crazy, fairytale love confession, but no keeping to himself either. He’d be okay going on the way things were if he could just support Yu the way that Yu had always supported him. And ultimately, maybe a romantic relationship wasn’t the best option, at least for the time being, because maybe neither of them were ready. There wasn’t any need to rush things, Yosuke thought, because being a good friend was more important. Clutching that new standard to hold himself to, Yosuke slept the whole night through for what felt like the first time in months. 


	3. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Igor, the Velvet Room, tarot cards, and the conclusion. ((Also disclaimer, near the end of this chapter I've included some of the dialogue from Yosuke's additional "rank 11" scene, just so I'm not claiming to have written all of it.))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not just a novice writer, but new to tarot as well. I know I've asked for forgiveness before, but please pardon any major discrepancies with the tarot reading in this chapter. Maybe even yell at me about tarot if you feel like it.

“You seem troubled,” Margaret was the first to break the silence. 

Yu stared back at Margaret’s knowing smile, startled but adamant to deny her assumption, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Tell me then, why have you come here? You know that nothing in the room is left up to chance.”

Yu remained silent. He knew Margaret was right, but - just as much as he couldn’t use anything in the TV world as an excuse anymore - he couldn’t exactly admit what he was feeling to Igor and Margaret of all people. ‘Hey, I think I might be in love with my best friend. What do I do about it?’ It’d be laughable to think that an admission like that would go anywhere. Yu’s wishy-washy feelings about the situation weren’t helpful. If he didn’t know what he wanted, then Igor and Margaret definitely wouldn’t. At the same time, though he couldn’t quite articulate why he had come to the Velvet Room, he was desperate for their help. He was their guest, right? Surely there was something they could do. 

“You’re right,” Yu finally admitted, “I, um, I’m confused.”

Great start, Yu thought patronizingly as he clarified his feelings, “I’m going to be leaving this town soon enough. There’s something I’ve been meaning to admit to someone, but I don’t know how, or if I even want to for that matter. And now all I do is wait around and think about it. At this rate, I’m going to leave without doing anything at all.”

“Perhaps you require me to illuminate the situation for you,” Igor was next to speak up, hovering his hand over the table in front him.

Five tarot cards, glowing as they appeared, took shape face down on the table. Igor waved his hand over them and they positioned themselves: one card in the middle with the other four parallel to each side. Yu looked down at the spread questioningly. 

Igor chuckled, “What, don’t you believe in fortune telling?”

Yu recalled the cards Igor had shown him during his first visit to the Velvet Room. The Tower and the Moon, if he remembered correctly. They had predicted the serial murder case. Having a tarot reading would not have been Yu’s first choice as a resolution to his problem, but he’d accepted crazier notions in the past year. In some strange way, maybe this was exactly what he came here for. He definitely came here ready to put his faith in Igor. Yu simply nodded Igor’s way, signaling him to continue. 

Igor grinned and turned his attention toward the card in the middle. The card flipped itself over, revealing the Sun. 

“This spread requires that I place the Sun in the middle. It will bring hidden aspects of your situation to light.

“This next card will represent the situation that is manifesting,” Igor turned toward the card to the left of the Sun, flipping it over, “Ah, the Two of Cups. This card is representative most often of a romantic partnership.”

Yu gulped and did his best to hide his surprise. _No way_ , he thought in disbelief. 

“But,” Igor continued, “it can also symbolize forming other emotional bonds, friendships and general unions. It would appear you have an opportunity for a magnetic and profound connection.

“The next card will represent the issue that cannot be ignored,” Igor explained as he flipped the card directly above the Sun, “The Hanged Man. This card is one of restraint and suspension. You are enduring a static chapter in your life, and your ability to break out of it will affect the outcome of the situation.” 

Igor continued counterclockwise, stopping at the card to the right of the Sun, “This card will represent the help you will receive,” and reveals it, “The Four of Cups, which symbolizes discontent and melancholy.”

Yu couldn’t help but frown at this revelation, “That doesn’t sound very helpful.”

Igor chuckled again, “No, I suppose not, but look at it in this light: living through discontent is sometimes the best way to learn about your own good fortune. As if divine intervention, this card encourages you to take a step back and look at what you already have. 

“I suppose now would also be a good opportunity to explain the significance of the suit of cups. Cups are representative of the emotional and soulful aspects of life, so considering what this spread has shown so far I think it would be appropriate to say you’re dealing with matters of the heart.”

Yu was beginning to think he was wildly out of line to doubt Igor at the start. Everything about his reading so far was dead on. He’d been trying to confess to Yosuke for so long, but he could never do it. Day in and day out for the past month had felt just as Igor described. He was stuck and dissatisfied, hurt but not in any physical pain. Truly a matter of the heart. Yu turned to the last card, hopeful for a positive outcome. 

“Now, this final card will reveal the resolution to your situation,” Igor slowly flipped the card over, revealing an image of a skull and doorway.

Once again, Yu found himself taken aback. This was a card he could certainly recognize. Death. Yu had thought he could finally have some answers, something to help him along his path, but instead he was stuck with the most foreboding card in the deck. Maybe this was a wake-up call. He was being ridiculous, thinking Yosuke could ever reciprocate his feelings, or that he’d ever be able to confess to Yosuke at all. It was just something that wasn’t meant to be. It was doomed from the start. Even in his acceptance of defeat, Yu couldn’t help but clench his hands into fists and bow his head in frustration. 

“Death,” Igor began, and - if Yu could believe it - softened his tone as he explained the card, “I know this may seem as bad a card as they come, but tarot is nothing if not neutral. Nothing the cards say is truly set in stone, how else could they yield a different result each time? Here, Death simply represents the natural end of a situation, whatever that situation might be. Good or bad. 

“So, you will come across an opportunity for a profound connection, but you currently find yourself at a significant moment gestation and restraint. Unless you can recognize the goodwill you do possess and break free of your chains, your influence will not be felt and your window of opportunity will come to a close.”

Yu stood solemnly, “Thank you for your help.”

“You are our guest,” Igor responded in an almost inappropriately jovial manner.

Stepping out of the Velvet Room and back into the cold, snowy shopping district, Yu stared absentmindedly at the harsh glow of the streetlights against the black night sky. So he was supposed to just go out and make a move or his chance would be over. It sounded simple out of context, but if he’d been mulling it over for so long already and still hadn’t come out with it how was he supposed to now? Was the ticking time bomb of the Death card supposed to motivate him? In reality it only made Yu more hesitant. Igor has proven his merit as a fortune teller, so if it wasn’t ever going to work out with Yosuke then why bother. 

Yu’s train of thought was broken by the sound of a door closing behind him. He turned his head over his shoulder to see Margaret had followed him out. She seemed uncharacteristically forlorn, mirroring Yu’s wistfully sad expression. 

“Give me your hand,” she commanded before Yu could say anything.

Yu obliged, and when Margaret took his hand he felt a piece of cardstock between them. 

Margaret tightened her grip, threatening to bend the paper, “I don’t want you to take my master’s words too harshly. Remember that nothing is set in stone. I understand you feel frozen right now, and it may be too much to ask, but please take some more time to reevaluate and recognize what you already have. That’s the best advice I can give you.” Margaret let go of Yu’s hand and allowed him to look at what she’d given him. It was another tarot card. This one depicted the silhouettes of a chalice, triangle, bird, and square in four colored quadrants. 

“Think of this as my thanks for being such a wonderful guest,” Margaret’s gentle smile returned to her face.

Yu found himself smirking too as curiosity got the better of him and he asked her what exactly ‘Temperance’ meant.

And, so, Yu took his time. He savored his last couple months at school, went on an eventful ski trip (which was at least one way to put it), and made as many good memories with his friends as he could. Yu was surprised to find it wasn’t as bittersweet as he’d thought it’d be most of the time. Whenever he spent time with everyone, he just enjoyed himself. 

Training with Chie, teaching Yukiko how to cook, learning how to sew with Kanji, being there to listen to Rise, solving a mystery, of all things, with Naoto. Jobs and sports and clubs and all the people that came with this crazy, little town. All of it reminded him there was nothing to be afraid of once he left. These were true friends, and that would be the same for years to come. Even hanging out with Yosuke wasn’t any different. Sometimes it was so normal, Yu forgot all about his time limit. But old habits die hard, so other times he sat and continued to mentally kick himself over the head. So, yeah, not much had changed.

That was certainly how he felt on March 19th sitting and staring over the Samegawa: like kicking himself. As beautiful as the low light of the sunset was over the rippling waters, as cool as the gentle spring air was sifting through the grass at his feet, and as peaceful as the sparsely populated floodplain was, Yu couldn’t keep his mind off of Yosuke.

“Mind if I join you?” 

Startled out of his reverie, Yu whipped his head around to be greeted by Yosuke’s impish grin. Speak of the devil.

“Only if you don’t give me another heart attack,” Yu resigned. 

He wasn’t exactly prepared to see Yosuke, but Yu was ever running out of time and maybe this was the universe giving him one final opportunity to have that conversation. 

“It’s been awhile since we’ve talked one-on-one like this,” Yosuke commented, sitting down to Yu’s left, and after a pause he continued, “How are you holding up?”

Yu simply sighed in response; a hard, heavy breath drifting out of his lungs.

Yosuke laughed, “Yeah, I think I get what you mean.”

He let the pair return to silence. It might have been comfortable, staring out at the peaceful river, chugging along on its way. And maybe the silence was comfortable to Yosuke, but Yu felt crushed by the quiet. _Come on_ , he psyched himself up, _just go for it! You won’t get another chance like this._

With another shaky breath, Yu asked, “Do you mind if I talk to you about something?”

“Of course I don’t mind.”

 _Stop being so nice, you’re not making this easy_ , “I, uh, I’ve been wanting to tell someone here something before I leave, but I just can’t seem to bring myself to do it.”

“Who is it?” 

“Does it matter? I’ve run out of time anyways.” 

“You’re not out of time yet! What are you sitting here talking to me for? Go find them!”

 _If only you knew_ , “That’s not the problem. The problem is I don’t know what to say even if I did talk to them about it. We speak normally just fine, I talk to them all the time! But about this, I could never.”

Yosuke let the air cool a bit before asking, “What are you trying to talk about? It must be pretty serious if you can’t find the words. You always know just what to say.”

 _Quit patronizing me. I’m not as great as you think I am_. “I can’t be that good at it, considering the situation I’ve put myself in. I’ve given myself only hours, hours! 48 hours and I’ll be gone. That’s not enough time to confess.”

Yu felt the slip coming, but there was nothing to do to stop it. He turned to look at Yosuke, and, judging by his startled expression, he took it exactly as it sounded. A romantic confession. Yu was sure Yosuke was absolutely dying to know who he was talking about now, and to prevent from letting THAT proverbial cat out of the bag, he leapt up to his feet. 

Changing the pace of the conversation, Yu mentioned softly, “I’ve known for a while how I felt. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself at first, I’ve known. And I wanted to say something before now, but…”

Yosuke stood as well, bringing himself up to Yu’s level. He stayed off to the left, though he inched into Yu’s line of sight. Yosuke didn’t say anything yet, opting to leave the air open for Yu to find the words. Little did he know, that final glimpse of silence would break the dam. 

Yu took a deep breath, “It’s just so frustrating because by the time I realized, the timing wasn’t right. But it’s not right now, either.

“It sucks because the timing’s never been right! It feels like I’ve felt this way for so long, but there’s nothing I can do to make it change. I don’t even know if I want it to change. Maybe this whole time I’ve been afraid, but if that were the case then why does it hurt so bad to not say anything at all?!” 

Yu felt the clenching of throat and boiling tears behind his eyes. It was a struggle to choke out a single word, and yet he felt he didn’t have much control over what he was saying. _Am I making any sense?_ He wondered, _and does it even matter anymore, when now I’ve really run out of time?_

He’d long since squeezed his eyes shut and let his chin drop to his chest, not eager to break down like this in front of Yosuke. What Yu couldn’t shut out was the rustle of the grass below his feet and the pair of arms sliding over his shoulders, bumping the top of his head into the fur of a well-worn jacket. Yosuke, in all his unpredictable, tenderhearted glory, had pulled him in for a hug. Although, Yu shouldn’t’ve been surprised. The boys had both agreed they were equals. Yosuke was just returning the favor. 

Yu, half-expecting himself to finally break into tears, was instead comforted by the gesture. He gave in, leaning his head fully on Yosuke’s shoulder.

“Is it always going to have to be this hard?” He whispered. 

After a moment, Yosuke replied, “I know how you feel; I’ve got someone like that, too.”

Yu held his breath. 

“I used to think,” Yosuke continued, “That the universe was against me. Against us. But maybe it was just me overthinking. Maybe, neither of us were ready.

“And you, you made me realize that that’s okay,” Yosuke gently clasped Yu’s shoulders, drawing his head back in order to meet his gaze, “So have a little more faith in yourself, won’t you?

“I know you’re leaving, and I know it’s not easy. Believe me, I know. But trust me when I say, distance won’t matter to us. If you ever lose your way, I’ll come knock some sense into you. It won’t matter if you’re at the ends of the earth or somewhere dark and bleak. I’ll come running.”

Frankly, Yu was shocked at Yosuke’s eloquence. He realized at that moment how much Yosuke had grown during the past year, and how much closer they had grown. Yosuke spoke his mind. He was strong and smart, and confident in himself. That happy-go-lucky facade had become so much more sincere. And at the same time, Yosuke wasn’t afraid of being vulnerable. He trusted Yu with everything and, evidently, knew exactly what to say to cheer Yu up. Yu felt himself falling all over again. 

Yosuke smiled at the sight of Yu’s speechless expression, “I’m glad to see you lose that sad face.”

Letting his grip on Yu’s shoulders fade and his hands slip away, Yosuke spoke again, “I just want you to know, there’s a lot of things I’m grateful for from this past year, but the biggest thing? I think it was that I met you.”

Without much warning at all, Yu burst into tears. He shoved his face into his hands in a useless attempt to hide it. Sniffling, shuddering, and even laughing, he whispered from beyond his palms a muffled ‘thank you.’ He wasn’t exactly sure why he was crying. He only knew that Yosuke had moved him deeply. Yu thought that sentiment was reflective of his mixed and muddled catharsis. 

This was one emotion, though Yu didn’t blame him, that Yosuke didn’t seem to understand. Extremely flustered, he waved his arms frantically, not sure what to do with them. 

“H-hey, stop! I didn’t want you to cry!”

Tears still rolling down his face, Yu replied, “T-then d-don’t say things like that.”

“Oh, man up.”

Yu slowly wiped his face, and though his eyes were puffy and red he wore a brilliant smile underneath, “If you think a little cry is going to emasculate me, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Yu rushed toward Yosuke, throwing an arm over his shoulder and pulling him into a headlock. Yosuke laughed himself breathless as Yu mercilessly ruffled Yosuke’s hair. When he finally managed to wriggle his way free, Yosuke gave Yu a playful shove and stumbled to the ground still giggling. Yu, still caught up in the lighthearted hysterics in the same way, quickly offered his hand to help Yosuke up. Yosuke grabbed on but couldn’t bring himself to stand yet. For a moment, the boys clasped their hands together like the handshake they shared when all this craziness began, and yet evolved: grasping just a little bit tighter, hesitant to let go. Just for now, they didn’t have to worry about the future, close or distant. Instead they cherished the gentle spring breeze and the warmth of each other’s company as they let this chapter close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first, thank you for reading all the way through! That's awesome of you and I appreciate it. This was my first fic, it was not beta read, and I think I probably could have workshopped it a little more before publishing, but I was losing a little steam on this project and I was very gung-ho about getting it out. I'm sure there's some typos in there and maybe even some issues with description of setting and character motivation. So tell me what you think, I'd love some feedback. Thank you again!


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